Black crows flew out towards the clear sky with loud caws, and black cats were crossing the narrow trail.
Everything on her path gave her nothing but ominous signs.
Irene walked straight into the late-night forest by only relying on the light from the Cantella she brought to light up her path while holding on to a slender sword on her other hand.
Suddenly, a giant rat jumped out of the bush and stopped at her feet. Its one giant eyeball was looking at Irene gently. Its ears were abnormally large with its sharp teeth protruding from its mouth.
（……a monster. It’s my first time seeing it. It was something that you will rarely see at the first layer of this forest)
When she shone the Cantella’s light on the giant monster rat, it jumped back into the bush and disappeared from sight.
「Crows……？ I wonder why do they bring skulls with them. Is it possible that they are also monsters？」
What’s more, they were all lined up above a dead tree while looking down on Irene. If they decided to attack Irene together all at once maybe, she’ll be in more than a sorry state.
In the midst of cawing crows, she was trying to think of a way to save herself when she heard a voice.
(The numbers are indeed a problem……but if I were to turn back from here, I’m going to die)
But if she were to proceed, she might die as well.
『Go home』
A large-sized crow suddenly spoke. As she had guessed, they were monsters.
Then voices of crows echoed around Irene as if they wanted to trap her in it.
『Go home, human』
『The Demon King’s castle lies ahead』
『The Demon King is reading』
Strangely, there’s an everyday schedule report mixed in with the warnings, but in this situation where the crows were talking, she didn’t really feel like laughing.
『What is your purpose of coming here, girl? Do you come here to die?』
『It’s the girl who was abandoned by her betrothed yesterday. Is this for revenge purposes? Ridiculous』
At that, Irene raised an eyebrow. And the voices of crows continued to ridicule her.
『If you are persistent, you’ll be dumped, this is common sense』
『You’re, someone with a bad reputation, the worst』
『Selfish, arrogant, thinking that she was loved by the Crown Prince――』
「You guys sure are noisy, do you guys want me to turn you into a “yakitori”?」
She stared directly at the noisy crows while giving them her best glares. She then straightened up her back and smiled gracefully.
「I wonder if the rumors are being gathered under the order of the Demon King? It is quite surprising to learn that the Demon King has such a vulgar hobby」
Just like that, the eyes of the crows were all gathered on her. The Demon King was an existence loved by all monsters. Insulting the Demon King is nothing but purposely trying to pick a fight with all the monsters. Provoking them is a suicidal act.
（ If he turns out to be such an unreasonable being, I’ll turn back and leave this place)
Like the way the Heroes would when they want to challenge the Demon King, Irene nobly declared.
「I, Irene Loren D’Authrice have come here to meet Claude Jeanne Elmeier. If you don’t have anything relevant to say, then be quiet. It doesn’t matter if you’re a monster or a human, if you only know how to pass judgment on someone based on the rumors alone, then you don’t deserve to be my opponent, so leave immediately.」
After dropping down those words, Irene gracefully left. After that, for some reason, the crows stopped talking but instead, they were flying around as if they were escorting Irene along the gloomy forest trail. Suddenly, something inside the bushes was moving to follow Irene as well.
I guess they can’t help but being sore losers. Irene, who was used to the attention, ignored them and continued her journey.
Eventually, her field of vision was cleared.
Under the starless sky, a castle came in sight. Most places had collapsed, the tapestries were in tatters, and the broken pillars were tangled with ivy. The surrounding trees around the castle had all withered and the small pond had become black and muddy, making it look like a swamp instead.
It’s the Demon King’s castle.
Once again, she braced herself.
（He should have a kind personality……but what if it’s only going to be limited to the heroine or something――that’s possible）
Since having wishful thinking is dangerous, she had no choice but to prepare herself for any possibilities. Then, she took a deep breath and lifted up her face.
She proceeded to pass by the scattered seemingly human-bones stumps and arrived in front of a rusty iron door. She tried to push it with all of her might but it barely moved. No matter how many times she tried, it remained still, unperturbed.
Since it’s impossible for her to give up just because of that, she extended her hands to try pushing it once again; the moment she did that, she heard a voice from behind her.
「Allow me to help」
「My. Thank you very much for your kind――」
The iron door blasted away, with a loud roaring sound.
Irene, while still keeping an amiable smile on her face, saw the stranger blasted the iron door away by using only a finger.
Glossy black hair colored deeper than the darkness itself, fluttered as the damp night wind blows, exposing the facial features beneath it.
Everything about the stranger was like a perfect first-class painting; elegant nose with thin lips, both of his facial features, and his body were too perfect. But what’s more striking than those features were his pair of shimmering bloody scarlet eyes.
（Com- compared to the CGs, the real person’s intensity is much more amazing……！）
But, I recognized that face.――Irene chose to keep that knowledge to herself.
“Irene” does not have much time. The engagement annulment was the event flag for Cedric’s capture route. At this point, if I don’t do something, I’ll die.
It’s going to be like in my previous world all over again; not even love, I can’t even enjoy all of the joy of youth.
「What business does a human has with me?」
A Demon King as well as the First Prince of the Elmeier Kingdom, Claude Jeanne Elmeier spoke expressionlessly.
But she was too afraid to notice the details. Irene kept her chin up, tucked her hair gracefully behind her ears, and smiled as usual.
「I have good news, of course. I, came here to propose marriage to you」
Just when she thought that he had no reaction, lightning fell down from the sky and struck down a big withered tree causing it to burn and split into two.
As if God going to send down his divine judgment on her.
「……」
「Who is going to, propose, a marriage, to whom？」
To Irene who kept on smiling, the person politely asked her the question.
The flames behind him burned up as if it was dancing, illuminating the surrounding. Almost like an inferno.
Thanks to her willpower, she was able to keep on smiling. Otherwise…
「Like I said, I, came here to propose marriage to――！」
When the lightning struck down thrice around her, her willpower lost to her instinct.
Before she could listen to his answer, just like that, Irene fainted, falling backward.
